Nursery Window
by jacysgirl
Summary: Sam is looking through the nursery window at newborn baby girl and reflecting on how she got to this point. I'm not good at summaries, but please ready anyway. :


"She's just beautiful." Sam Carter stood gazing in amazement through the nursery window. The baby girl on the other side of the glass was sleeping soundly in the make-shift plastic crib marked 'Shanahan'. She glanced over at the man by her side.

"She looks just like you, ya know," she told Pete. He was positively beaming.

"But she has her mother's eyes," he said as the baby opened her eyes and focused the blue orbs on the two people peering down at her. Sam continued starring at the tiny baby in awe. She felt Pete's eyes on her.

"What?" she asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I never thought I'd see this day," he said, still grinning, "Did you?" Sam laughed.

"Never," she answered honestly. As she turned her attention once more to the nursery window, her mind began to wander back to the day she and Pete had bumped into each other for the first time after calling off their engagement.

FLASHBACK

It had been exactly one year from the day she had handed Pete his ring back. She had been moping around the base all day in a depressed sort of mood. Someone had tipped off her new CO as to the reason and she had been ordered away from the base for the rest of the day. She hadn't been able to focus on her work anyway, so she guessed it was just as well. That was how she'd found herself wandering around the town in the middle of the day.

Despite the number of years she had worked at Cheyenne Mountain, she had never really taken the time to explore the surrounding area. The little town was quaint with a timeless feel. She was too busy thinking to really pay any attention to where she was going.

It wasn't that she was sorry for breaking off the engagement. She was sure that she had made the right decision. No matter what her feelings were for Pete, or anyone else for that matter, she hadn't been ready to get married a year ago. Not to Pete. Not to anyone.

No, it wasn't the engagement that had her down in the dumps. It was the loss of her friend. Pete had been one of the few people outside of the SGC that she could confide in. He knew about her work and the other life that she lived. He understood her in a way that few people did. He had listened to her. More importantly, he had allowed her to be herself. She didn't have to save the world and be Super Carter around Pete. She could just be Sam. He was one of her best friends and it hurt to be cut off from that so swiftly and completely.

With all of those thoughts running through her head, she almost believed that she imagined Pete standing before her. She came to a slow stop and stared at him in disbelief. His expression was nearly identical to her own. After a moment, he reached out and they embraced in an awkward hug.

"Sam, how are you?" he asked shoving his hands into his pockets. Sam smiled for the first time that day.

"Good, actually," she said, "How about you?"

"Good," Pete said. They starred at each other in awkward silence for a few moments. "How about a cup of coffee?" Pete asked gesturing to the coffee shop across the street. Sam hesitated for a moment. "Unless you're busy, of course," Pete back tracked immediately, "I know you've got a lot going on. Probably have to get back to the mountain…"

"Coffee sounds great," Sam said, cutting him off with a smile. Pete relaxed and smiled back. They walked across the street together and it was as easy as that. The awkwardness faded as they caught up on one another's lives over the past year. They sat together for hours at that little coffee shop and never went more than a few weeks without seeing each other again after that. Sam was quite pleased to have Pete back in her life.

END FLASHBACK

Sam smiled to herself at the memories. It was amazing how things worked out. Life was just funny like that. The sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention. She turned to see General Jack O'Neill standing behind her. She glanced down at her watch and couldn't believe that an hour had passed already.

"Jack, it's good to see you again," Pete said, offering his hand. Jack shook it quickly and returned his hands to his pockets. He rocked back on his heels and gave Sam a look. He was ready to go. It wasn't that he didn't like Pete, but past circumstances made him understandably uncomfortable around the man. Sam looked back at Pete again. She remembered sitting down for that first cup of coffee. She hadn't been sure what she should or shouldn't say about the life she had built for herself over the past year. It turned out to be easy. Pete had told her all about his new girlfriend and she had told him about her relationship with Jack. She had shown him the ring and he had taken it all in stride.

It had been three years since then. They hadn't gone to each other's weddings, but they did send gifts and a nice card. When Pete's wife had given birth that morning, he had called Sam to tell her the news. Jack had agreed to drop her off, so she could visit the new baby. She looked back at the tiny bundle on the other side of the glass and smiled. She was so glad that Pete had found happiness. She hugged him quickly and then stepped towards Jack. Of course, she was glad that she had given up Pete all those years ago so that she could find her own happiness too. This time her smile was reserved for the man before her. They began walking down the hall side by side. She looked up to find her General smiling down at her. She smiled back at him, took his hand, and left the hospital without a single glance behind her.


End file.
